Ho-hum speech and a fine singer

TOSSUP: State of the Union. President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address was fine — neither terrific nor tepid. It was a litany of minor goals that he hopes to accomplish during the coming year, as well as good news about the national economy’s improvement.

But there was no stirring message — no uniting call to action — that would bring our nation together.

LOSER: The Big One. Sunday marked the 314th anniversary of a “megathrust” earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, one of the world’s most dangerous faults.

That Jan. 26, 1700, quake off the coast of what are now British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Northern California registered 9.0. Scientists say we’re within the time window for another such massive quake.

WINNER: Oregon motorists. The Oregon Department of Transportation reported 317 traffic fatalities last year, which tied 2010 as the fewest deaths since 1943. That is a welcome trend.

LOSER: TriMet. The metro mass-transit agency has a heap of problems that need attention, according to an audit report from the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office.

“TriMet must work to improve a contentious labor-management relationship in order to solve its fiscal challenges and continue to provide critical services ...,” Secretary of State Kate Brown said in a statement. “While auditors found more than two dozen areas of concern, TriMet’s $1.1 billion health care and pension liabilities remain the agency’s most significant challenge.”

WINNER: Elliot Mainzer. The acting administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration has been appointed to the permanent position. Maybe he can get the troubled regional power utility, which is a quasi-anonymous agency in the U.S. Department of Energy, back on track.

LOSER: Santiam Pass snow. Rain washed away the recent snow, so Hoodoo Ski Area still can’t open. Its management will allow season pass holders to roll this year’s pass over to 2014-15.

LOSER: California drought. Oregon’s neighboring state has had to ban fishing on dozens of streams because of the drought. Oregon might find itself in the same position this year.

Suggestions

Send your nominations for Winners and Losers to the Statesman Journal Editorial Board at salemed@StatesmanJournal.com or by mail to the Editorial Board, Statesman Journal, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309-3009.